Workshops and reports

The economic impact of introducing a grace period in Europe

26 November 2014, Munich

In 2014, the ESAB commissioned a study to provide evidence-based analysis of the impact of a potential introduction of a grace period in Europe. A workshop was organised in November where the findings of the study were presented and discussed with over 60 international IP experts and practitioners.

Patent aggregation and its impact on competition and innovation policy

25 November 2014, Munich

The ESAB organised a workshop to discuss patent aggregation and its impact on competition and innovation policy with over 40 experts and patent aggregators/intermediaries from Europe, the US and Asia. The discussions focused on the interplay between patent and competition policy as well as on the different types of aggregators and their activities in Europe.

Unitary patent and Unified Patent Court workshop

3. and 4.12.2013, Munich

The ESAB has commissioned an independent study to identify, quantify and understand the individual drivers behind the behaviour for applying for unitary patents and the use of the Unified Patent Court. It provides the ESAB with an analysis of the intended behaviour of companies and of particular industries in response to the newly implemented patent system. To this end the preliminary findings of the economic study were presented at the workshop.

Recommendations for improving the patent system
2012 statement by the ESAB

In its first year, the ESAB has contributed to the broad debate on the economic and social effects of the patent system. Based on the main findings from the Board's 2012 activites, the members of the ESAB come up with a number of recommendations to address the important challenges facing the patent system.

Patent thickets workshop
26.9.2012, Leuven

International patent experts met at the third workshop to improve understanding of patent thickets and to look at the phenomenon from the perspective of different industries. The expert group explored patent thickets as a part of the broader discussion related to the management of innovation and technological complexity. Possible solutions focused on regulatory measures to improve patent quality, the speed of examination procedures and pricing aspects. Market-based solutions were also discussed.

Fees workshop
8.5.2012, Munich

Participants at the second workshop discussed whether reduced fees or subsidies would have a positive effect on innovation support, bearing in mind that patent office fees were already considered relatively low compared with other costs, such as attorneys' fees, translations and national validations.

Patent quality workshop
7.5.2012, Munich

Some 40 economists, lawyers, patent practitioners, licensing experts and university researchers from Europe, the USA and Asia met to discuss what 'patent quality' means to different stakeholders. A number of proposals on topics such as prior art search, international harmonisation and collaboration were put forward and discussed.

Inaugural meeting
23.1.2012, Munich

The ESAB nominated Professor Dietmar Harhoff of Munich's Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) as its chairman. The members decided to explore the issues of 'patent quality', 'pricing and fees' and 'patent thickets' in a series of workshops with stakeholders and users of the patent system and other expert organisations, and to commission new research where appropriate.